Researchers have succeeded in preventing the development of Alzheimer’s disease in affected mice by blocking certain cells. Ultimately, their discovery could lead to the development of a new targeted treatment.
Today, more than 35.6 million people are affected by Alzheimer’s disease worldwide and 7.7 million new cases are diagnosed each year. And according to WHOthe number of patients should double every 20 years to finally reach 152 million in 2050. This is why many scientists are working to try to spot Alzheimer’s as early as possible.
American researchers have succeeded in preventing the onset of the disease in laboratory mice, as revealed in their study published this Wednesday, August 21 in the journal NatureCommunications. Eventually, this discovery could make it possible to develop targeted treatments to prevent it from developing in humans.
Previous research had already shown that most of the genetic risks of Alzheimer’s are activated in cells of the immune system better known as microgliocytes. Thus, these cells would play a role in the disease. “However, we didn’t understand exactly what microglia do and whether they are significant in the initial process of Alzheimer’s disease,” says Kim Green, associate professor of neurobiology and behavior at the University of California. “We decided to examine this question by looking at what would happen in their absence”, he develops.
So he and his colleagues decided to use a drug to block microglia signaling in mice with Alzheimer’s. They were then able to observe that the rodents did not develop beta-amyloid plaques, the characteristic pathology of the disease.
Microglia, a necessary component for the development of Alzheimer’s
“What’s striking about these studies is that we found that in regions lacking microglia, plaques didn’t form,” says Green. “However, in the places where the microglia survived, plaques formed. You don’t have Alzheimer’s disease without plaques, and we now know that microglia are a necessary component for the development of Alzheimer’s disease. .”
Scientists have also discovered that when plaques are present, microgliocytes perceive them as harmful and attack them. However, the aggression deactivates in passing the genes of the neurons necessary for the normal functioning of the brain. “These findings show the crucial role of these cells in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s,” says Green.
According to him, this study is a source of hope for making drugs capable of preventing the development of the disease. “We’re not proposing to remove all the microglia from the brain,” says Green, aware of the importance of these cells in regulating other brain functions. “What might be feasible is to create treatments that target microglia in a targeted way,” he explains.
Nearly 3 million people directly or indirectly affected in France
Ultimately, this approach could even help to better understand other brain disorders. “These immune cells are implicated in all neurological diseases and even in brain damage (…) Eliminating microglia could allow researchers working in these regions to determine the role of the cells and whether targeting microglia could be a potential treatment,” Green concludes.
Today in France, nearly 3 million people are directly or indirectly affected by Alzheimer’s, according to the association France Alzheimer. Nearly 225,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and by 2020, France should have 1,275,000 patients, worries the association, which lists a series of symptoms that can alert relatives of those affected.
Because if Alzheimer begins to manifest itself by a loss of recent memory, many other signs are revealing. It often happens that a patient finds it increasingly difficult to carry out simple daily tasks, in particular administrative tasks, to orient themselves, or even to dress coherently. He may also develop language disorders and lose objects.
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